Abstract

FNAC is a safe, reliable, cost-effective, and efficient method for initial screening of patients with salivary gland swellings. Aims: The purpose of this study was to identify cytomorphological features and toevaluate the diagnostic efficacy of FNAC as a screening tool for salivary gland swellings. Materials and Methods: A study included 195 cases of FNAC, with 62 cases being compared to histological diagnosis. Subsequently, discordant cases, including both false negatives and false positives, were retrospectively re-evaluated. Additionally, a thorough review of previous research on the factors that contribute to misdiagnosis was conducted. Results: On cytology, 110 cases were neoplastic, of which 73 were benign and 37 were malignant. Histopathological correlation was available in 62 cases, 42 of which were benign and the remaining 11 were malignant. When suspected malignant and malignant group are all classified as cytologically positive, the sensitivity and specificity are 72.73% and 96.08% respectively. Overlapping cytological features, heterogeneity and unsampled areas were the primary factors contributing to false positive and false negative diagnosis.

Description